Emma Angstmann 7CAG

Australian Animals


Computer Applications
Name: Emma Angstmann
Class: 7CAG
Teacher: Ms Gregerson
Due Date: 5
th
May 2014
Australian Animals 02/05/2014 Page 1
Emma Angstmann 7CAG
Australian Animals 02/05/2014 Page 2
Emma Angstmann 7CAG
Content Page
Australian Animals 02/05/2014 Page 3
Emma Angstmann 7CAG
What is a koala?
The koala is a small bear-like, tree-dwelling, herbivorous marsupial which
averages about 9kg (20lb)in
Habitat
'abitat' re!ers to the t"pes o! bushland that koalas like to live in# The" are !ound
in a range o! habitats, !rom coastal islands and tall eucal"pt !orests to low
woodlands inl $hat is a koala%
The koala is a small bear-like, tree-dwelling, herbivorous marsupial which
averages about 9kg (20lb) in abitat
'abitat' re!ers to the t"pes o! bushland that koalas like to live in# The" are !ound
in a range o! habitats, !rom coastal islands and tall eucal"pt !orests to low
woodlands inland#

Australian Animals 02/05/2014 Page 4
Emma Angstmann 7CAG
The koala is a small bear-like, tree-dwelling, herbivorous marsupial which
averages about 9kg (20lb) in abitat
'abitat' re!ers to the t"pes o! bushland that koalas like to live in# The" are !ound
in a range o! habitats, !rom coastal islands and tall eucal"pt !orests to low
woodlands inland#
toda" are !ound in &ueensland , 'ew (outh $ales , )ictoria and
http*++cutepics#org+categor"+koala
(outh ,ustralia # Their range e-tends !rom the ,therton Tableland west o! .airns
in &ld to islands o!! the coast o! )ictoria and (outh ,ustralia in the south, and
west to central and western &ld, '($ and )ictoria#

Australian Animals 02/05/2014 Page 5
Emma Angstmann 7CAG
/iet
0oala's are ver" !uss" eaters and have strong pre!erences !or di!!erent t"pes
o! gum leaves, then the most important !actor which make habitats suitable are
the presence o! tree species pre!erred b" koalas (usuall" eucal"pts, but also
some non-eucal"pts) growing in particular associations on suitable soils with
ade1uate rain!all#
2n ,ustralia there are over 300 t"pes o! eucal"pts, but koalas will not eat a large
proportion o! these# $ithin a particular area, as !ew as one, and generall" no
more than two or three species o! eucal"pt will weight# 2t4s !ur is thick and
usuall" ash gre" with a tinge o! brown in places#
be regularl" browsed while a variet" o! other species, including some non-
eucal"pts, appear to be browsed occasionall" or used !or 5ust sitting or
sleeping in#
/i!!erent species o! eucal"pts grow in di!!erent parts o! ,ustralia, so a koala in
)ictoria would have a ver" di!!erent diet !rom one in &ueensland# 0oalas like a
change, too, and sometimes the" will eat !rom other trees such as wattle or
tea tree#
Ph"siolog"
The 0oala is well suited to li!e in the trees# The koala has an e-cellent sense o!
balance and its bod" is lean and muscular and its 1uite long, strong limbs
support its weight when climbing# The arms and legs are nearl" e1ual in
length and the koala's climbing strength comes !rom the thigh muscle 5oining
the shin much lower than in other animals# 2ts paws are especiall" adapted !or
gripping and climbing with rough pads on the palms and soles helping it to
grip tree trunks and branches# 0oalas have a thick wooll" !ur which protects
them !rom both high and low temperatures# 2t also acts like a 'raincoat' to repel
moisture when it rains# 0oalas are mostl" nocturnal animals and the" are
most active during the night and at dawn and dusk#
Breeding
The main characteristics o! marsupials which di!!erentiate them !rom other
mammals is that the" give birth to immature "oung which then develop !urther
in a pouch# The word 'marsupial' comes !rom the 6atin word marsupium,
meaning 'pouch#' 7ost, but not all marsupials have a pouch in which to raise
their "oung#
Australian Animals 02/05/2014 Page 6
Emma Angstmann 7CAG
The breeding season !or koalas runs roughl" !rom (eptember to 7arch# This is a
time o! increased activit", and sound levels increase as males bellow more
!re1uentl"# This is also when the "oung !rom the previous "ear are weaning
!rom their mothers#
Australian Animals 02/05/2014 Page 7
Emma Angstmann 7CAG
Threats
(ince 8uropean settlement, appro-imatel" 90: o! ,ustralia's eucal"pt !orests
have been decimated# ;! the remaining 20: almost none is protected and
most occurs on privatel"-owned land# The main causes o! loss o! habitat
include*

6,'/ .68,<2'=
.learing o! the land !or e-pansion o! human settlement !or
,griculture
ousing
7ining
>orestr"
>actories
<oads




The results o! this would include*
6oss o! habitat
2ncreased disturbance b" humans
2n5ur" or death !rom tra!!ic
Australian Animals 02/05/2014 Page 8
Emma Angstmann 7CAG
2n5ur" or death !rom dogs and cats
8!!ects o! garden pesticides getting into waterwa"s
2ncreased competition !or !ood and territor" because o! overcrowding
2ncreased stress on animals, making them more susceptible to disease#
2t has also been documented that over ?000 koalas are killed each "ear b" dogs
and cars# 2t eas" to see that the biggest threat to the 0oala population is the
human#
@ush!ires
Australian Animals 02/05/2014 Page 9
Emma Angstmann 7CAG
0oala populations in !ragmented areas o! bush land are at great risk o! localised
e-tinction !rom a single !ire which ma" wipe out an entire habitat# @ush!ires
are e-tremel" common in the summer months#
Australian Animals 02/05/2014 Page 10
Emma Angstmann 7CAG
/iebacks
.hanges in the balance o! the ecos"stem can lead to dieback o! trees# The cutting
back o! the original vast !orests has created patches o! !orest separated !rom
each other b" treeless land# (mall, isolated patches o! !orest are prone to
dieback# /ieback is a general term !or the gradual d"ing o! trees due to !actors
such as land degradation, leaching o! soil nutrients, changes in the
composition o! vegetation communities, rising water levels underground,
salination o! the soil, erosion caused b" wind and water, e-posure to weather
and e-cessive de!oliation (or loss o! leaves)#
The underl"ing cause o! all these !actors appears to be the clearing and
disturbance o! !orests# (event" !ive percent o! the main koala !ood tree
species are declining in numbers as a result o! this#
<ed 0angaroo
7acropus ru!us (tatus* .ommon red kangaroo is the largest o! all the marsupials
and live in !amil" groups on the plains and deserts o! .entral ,ustralia#
/escription 7ale red kangaroos have short dense wooll" !ur and are pale to
brick red in colour, while the !emales are blue-gre", though in some areas
both se-es are red# @oth have distinctive white below# The muAAle is dusk",
naked and sharpl" de!ined with a distinctive black and white patch on each
side# <ed kangaroos travel with head down# 7ales weigh up to 90kg, the
!emales are smaller at BCkg (also known as the D@lue-!liersD)# 7ales can stand
over E#9m tall#
@reeding
0angaroos breed throughout the "ear# 'ewl" born "oung, known as 5oe"s, weigh
less than E gram and make their wa" into the pouch unassisted b" their
mother#
Australian Animals 02/05/2014 Page 11
Emma Angstmann 7CAG
/iet
=reen herbage, including grasses and herbivorous plants#
abitat
<ed kangaroos are !ound in central ,ustralia and pre!er open plains with
scattered shade trees under which the" rest during the da"# The" are semi-
nomadic pre!erring to graAe mostl" at night but can e-tend to late evening and
earl" morning
Plat"pus
;rnithorh"ncus anatinus
(tatus* Plat"pus are common but vulnerable#
The plat"pus is a monotreme, like the echidna but are e-tremel" specialiAed !or an
a1uatic li!est"le in !resh water# >or man" "ears, plat"pus were hunted !or their
thick !ur# Plat"pus are mostl" nocturnal and solitar" animals#
/escription
Australian Animals 02/05/2014 Page 12
Emma Angstmann 7CAG
Plat"pus have a broad so!t leather" bill, dense water-repellent brown !ur, webbed
!eet and clawed toes# 2t uses its webbed !ront !eet !or swimming, !olding the
web under its paw to walk# The Plat"pus spends much o! its time in the water
so its e"es are on the top o! its head and the nostrils open on top o! its bill#
$hen submerged, the plat"pus closes its e"es, nostrils and ear holes rel"ing
on the touch receptors on the skin o! the bill !or its in!ormation#
The plat"pus's tail is broad and !lat, its hind !eet are used to help steer and brake
while swimming The hind ankles o! the male have a venomous spur#
@reeding
7ating starts on ,ugust in the warmer areas and as late as ;ctober in Tasmania#
>emales la" two eggs and incubate the eggs b" curling her bod" around them
as she lies on a nest o! grasses at the end o! the burrow# 8ggs hatch in about
2 weeks and "oung are !ed !or !our to !ive months on milk that secretes !rom
pore ducts o! the mammar" glands on the mothers abdomen#
/iet
Plat"pus eat a variet" o! invertebrates such as crustaceans and molluscs# The"
collect !ood !rom the river bottom and store it in cheek pouches until the
reaching the sur!ace# The plat"pus then !loats on its back chewing the !ood
between horn" grinding plates in its mouth#
Australian Animals 02/05/2014 Page 13
Emma Angstmann 7CAG
Habitat
The platypus lives in burrows on the banks of fresh water streams and lakes of
Eastern Australia including Tasmania. It sleeps most of the day in its burrow feeding
mainly around dawn and dusk. Local climate may change this behaviour.
Australian Animals 02/05/2014 Page 14
Emma Angstmann 7CAG
Threats
$ires looks a!ter plat"pus which are sick, orphaned or in5ured due to lacerations
!rom outboard motors, poisoning !rom pollution, entanglement !rom netting
and habitat loss#
<e!erences
,uthors name* unknown
Title o! the work* .ute Pic
Title o! the complete work* .ute Pic
,ddress* http*++cutepics#org+categor"+koala
/ate o! visit* 2+?+20E?
,uthors name* unknown
Title o! the work* animal wallpapers
Title o! the complete work* animal wallpapers
,ddress* http*++animalswalls#blogspot#com#au+
/ate o! visit* 2+?+20E?
,uthors name* unkown
Title o! the work* 0oala
Title o! the complete work* 0oala
,ddress* http*++www#imagesaustralia#com+koala#htm
Australian Animals 02/05/2014 Page 15
Emma Angstmann 7CAG
/ate o! visit* 2+?+20E?
,uthors name* unkown
Title o! the work* .ute 0oala (impressive)
Title o! the complete work* .ute 0oala (impressive)
,ddress* http*++impressivemagaAine#com+20EB+09+22+things-to-know-about-koala-
bears+
/ate o! visit* 2+?+20E?
,uthors name* unkown
Title o! the work* The Plat"pus
Title o! the complete work* The Plat"pus
,ddress* http*++www#r"anphotographic#com+plat"pus#htm
/ate o! visit* 2+?+20E?
Australian Animals 02/05/2014 Page 16